On the Road to recovery
by Empress Soraya
Summary: After the shifting planes of reality have somehow resolved, and the explorers are back together, is everything the way it seems? What will an unexected visitor to the plateau bring, and how are family ties be resolved? A few unexpected truths are revealed
1. The Visitor

On the Road to Recovery.

A companion piece to Heart of the Storm II

TEASER

"There;s no way I"m going to leave you behind, not like this!", the blonde-haired man pleaded, "Please, Joanne, at least try. For me, for our daughter. You can't just leave us

The young, dark-haired woman lying in his arms wept softly and shook her head. How come fate had led them to such a heart-breaking situation? She hated to leave them, she hated to leave him, and yet she was there, slowly passing away, in a heart-rending agony.

"I'm too weak, Adam. There;s no way I'm going to make it. You know how heavily I have been shot. You know. You must leave, keep her safe. They will be here any minute now. "

The man beside her tried one more time to reason. He knew, partly, that she was right, but refused to accept that, refused to come to terms with the horror of losing her. He loved her, dammit. But fate, it seemed, through her introcate and malicious intrigues aimed at making them the most woeful creatures under the sun. And each time, she suceeded, he thought embittered. why was it that two persons loving had to endure so much only to be parted in the crucial point, the point from which all could be well, from which they could all peacfully settle down at last/. surely, Fate overused the word irony in her vocabulary.

"Joanne, I"

"Does my life and my scarifice mean so little to you that you are willing to waste it? Can;t you see? If you dont go, they will capture you and both of you will surely die. I wouldn't be able to bear this, Adam. The mere thought if what can happen if you dont leave know is enough to kill me. If you love me, you will go and hide our child Please, keep her safe. I love you. "

And with these words, brethed with one final effort of her enduring spirit, one carved from steel and forged in fire, she ended her sorrowful and thorn-lain path.

He sat by her stunned for a couple of more seconds, seconds which impossibly stretched into an eternity. A harrowing, loveless eternity. His wife was no more. Adam allowed himself a few tears. The worst was he wouldn't even have time to honour her memory with a proper burial. Fate had again intervened and forced him to chose between the past and the future. And both for her and for his daughter, he had to choose the future. He lost his wife but he would not allow their daughter to die.

"Farewell, Joanne, my love"

Springing up energetically to his feet, he gently took the little baby out of her mother;s protective arms and took off with her towards the estate, for all his life was worth.

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Another brilliant sun had risen to lighten up the platteau. It was still fairly early in the morning, the sounds of the jungle being stilled and dominated by a feeling of silence and peace.

For the inhabitans of the treehouse it was yet too early to begin the day, They were all still recuperating after the recent events of shifing planes of reality, which had them fighting for their lives yet again. They all had the feeling of fighting a lost battle back them, each of them reliving moments of utter despair. And yet, somehow, Fate took pity on them and brought them back together after more trials and tribulations, which not least of all only served to strengthen their mutual bonds. Their were even more a family than they used to be. However, not everything was as it seemed.

Unusually, Marguerite was the first to raise. She traipsed quietly around the silence-filled room, wondering just how close she came to losing her family this time. Truth was she could not sleep, tortured by recurring nightmares of her unfortunate encounter with the gory druids. But there was more to those dreasm, something she she could not quite identify and wyet something caused a great turmoil withihn her heart.

"You're up early", a deep voice startled her out of her reveries.

She smiled inwardly, never turning around. She didn't have to. She would recognise that voice anywhere, no matter in hell or not. As his strong arms came around her waist, she leaned into him, basking in his affection, in his warmth, in his support. It there was one thing Marguerite Krux absolutey loved about John roxton, it was his impeccable timing. He always knew when she neeeded him. Always.

"I guess I decided to enoy the day, while it lasts", she replied in a low, sultry voice "It's a good thing you decide to join me, thouh"

She tried her best to hide how turbulent night she had but she was fooling herself. She could lie to anyone, but Roxton

"Don't try this with me Marguerite. I can tell when you're lying. Something is eating awya at you and I would like to know what. Out with it, now."

His deep voice was full of pure concern for her. She marvelled at this feeling. She never did feel this way with anyoe befire. No one ever paid attention to her the way roxton did and she never botehred to commit herself to any of the men in her life. With roxton. it was different. With Roxton it was worth the effort. He never, not once during all they years on the plateau doubted in her. They had been through every possible kind of tribulations and this only served to strengthend the link between them. One way of showing him she wanted that, too was to let him in, and expose herself. The one thing she learned here that love, even if it does involve heart-break and sorrow is worht every effort. Amd John was worth to hold on to.

She sighed and ventured to look at him. She felt a lump forming in her throat upon seeing pure love writ large on his face, shing in his deep dark eyes. She traced a finger along his jawline and then her hand moved up to touh his cheek. He leaned into the touch, enjoying her closeness. This time he had come so close to losing her. He preferred not to think what would have happened if the plateau's currents hand;t changed at the approproate moment. It was all the plateaus whim that they were reunited again.

'I'm not going to let you off my sight again. Marguerite', he swore himself the moment he saw her affter separation. He rembered how elated he felt seeing nothing had happened to her, knowing she was safely back with him, knowing he could still protect her. He remembered holding her tightly in his arms, never meaning to let go. And he intended to keep that promise.

Now as he was leaning in to the gentleness of her touch, so affectionate, so true, it helped him to dissipiate all his fears and served to confirm that this, that 'now' was real, that thy were there.

"So", he prompted gently "Are you going to speak or should I make you?

His teasing was an attempt to lighten up the mood He knew perfectly well, as she did too, that the events of the last days left traces in their souls. Hell, those events practically shattered them. And she appreciated that, beccause she realised it was out of devotion that he did that.

"Oh, and how would you like to achieve that, hmm? ", she smiled back at him ,her own eyes mirroring the mirth in his

"I have my interesting ways of talking people into things."

"Getting a little full of yourself, Lord Roixton? Would you care to share the wonderful formula?"

She felt a warm tingle of affection run down her spine as his hand reached up to brush strayed strands of hair from her forehead.

"Nope. A secret wouldn't be a secret if it was revealed, would it?"

She laughed, a deep, sultry laugh he loved so much.

Then she sobered.

"I couldnlt sleep. I was having nightmares,", she confessed.

Coming out of the blue as it did, she startled him, ad at the same time pleased with this sudden openness. It meant she wanted to share her feelings, she wanted him to be a part of her life.

"About what, Marguerite?", he questioned gently, enveloping her now slightly trembling form in his warm embrace. "What nightmares?"

Margrite averted her gaze, as if a little ashamed of what his reaction might be but nonetheless decided to share

"The druids, John. I dreamt about what could have been. But there was something else...

He tried to soothe her fears, cooing gently into her ear. But deep down inside anger and fear boiled. On a daily basis, in their everyday struggle emotions were put aside. But he was a fool not to realise what impact it was having on her, the strongest and yet the most vulnearable of their group. He hated to think about what could have been. He was glad things tunred out as they did. But for marguerite it was difficult. Especially now. His heart went out to her as she told him how frightened she was. How she needed him and called him. He wasn;t there and for that he would curse himself a thousand times over. She wouldn't blame him, of course, He couldn't have been there, the bloody plateau trapped him in another reality. "Huh", he thought bitterly "What's a reality to fight for a hunter such as me?"

"It's alright, marguerite. The druids won't be coming here. I won't let them, anyway"

She smiled

"I know. It;s not the druids that have me worried. It;s that other part, when I get the vision of a man and woman and a child. being chased after by something. This seems somehow familiar but I can;t put my finger on it"

"It will come Marguerite, give it time. Memories like to appear in the most unwanted moments. Belive me, I should know."

There was a long silence for a while but there was no need for words, either. They sat on the balcon, enjoying their quiet moment. Soon, they knew all to well, the magic of the private moment would be broken by the sound of the treehouse waking up to another day, But not yet. They still had a few precious minutes only for themselves.

The smell of a freshly brewed coffee slowly brought them all together, All treehouse members yet again together at the treehouse family table. All but two. Noone knew what happened to Finn. She disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared, and she was greatly missed. In her room, there were stillt races of her, and out of respect they left it untouched, hoping that they would find her sometime soon.

"That;s three in three years time. Nice record", Marguerite remarked grimly

'What;s that, Marguerite?" Challenger queried absent-mindedly. He had appeared so preoccupied ever since his adventure, he was not the usual cheerful self anymore. he seemed to have lost something essential, something that had kept him going before, something that made him who he was: a visionary. Faith? Innoicence? Zeal? Or perhaps he was merely worn out by all the strains the life on the plateau had been putting on them?

None of his companions knew how to help him. The best they could do was tos how him their respcet and support and perhsas all would settle down, after a while, when memories would wear off.

Veronica looked up at her with a mixture of understanding and sorrow of her own. She had lost her parents, then Ned, then Finn. She almost lost her friends in the process of saving the plateau, not to mention she almost parted with her own life too. .

But the most important thing that counted, was that it finally worked out well. And things would be all right once again, she comforted herself.

"Marguerite," Roxton seemed the only one fit to react. Veronica looked at him with admiration and a hint of envy. His primary concern was for Marguerite and now that he had her by his side he could go on protecting them, keeping Marguerite safe in the same mood he had always done. She was happy at least they were not giving in to he sudden mood of despondecy that seemed to pervade the usually cheerful house.

"Stop that. We will find them. Our family will be complete again"

She nodded, picking at her food.

The rest of the meal went by in perfect silence.

The group moved in silence. As much as they were mourning, life had to go on. Most of all, they had to get fresh food supplies and, if lucky, perhaps even some traces of their lost friends. That is why they ventured together, having opted for this as the safest solution. If they kept together, chances were they would not get seaprated again. Their primary goal was to not get separated.

"It is still dangerous out there. The anomalies are bound to persist for some time and "im not bloddy intent on being transported to another whacky reality ever again", Challenger had said

Now as they were walking in solme silence throygh the jungle in search of food, drowned in thir thoughts, they knew there would come the time to deal with thos. for now thy all suffered seaprately, as an individual. But Rixtin knew, as did marguerite, that it was a barrel bound to explode anyminute and their tiptoeing around it wouldnlt be of much use.

Suddenly Roxton stopped.

"What? What is it, John? ", Marguerite queried aprehensively

Roxton motioned her to be quiet.

"We are being followed, I think", he finally whispered.

Marguerite nodded, and the four reatreated slighly. They knew better than to protest because Roxton was rarely wrong when it came to this.

the rustling of the bushes increased slightly, indicating an unsettling movement behind it. A sound followed, an unidentifable grunt.

"You think he's an apeman of some sort?", Marguerite asked

"Wouldn't surpise me", Challenger quipped, "We seem to have a strange of luck of attracting strange creatures.

Ignroring that last remark, Roxton shook his head "I don;t know. Veronica?"

"I have no way of telling what the storm has doen to plateau. I"m sorry, I ma as helpless and confused as you are at the moment" , the jungle beauty shook her head helplessly.

Which means we can only rely on our survival instincts", Marguerite added, "How much ammuniton, John?"

"Enough for one shot, if this noise belongs to an enemy, we've got to save for the game"

She nodded.

Finally, having secured his friends, John moved forward a bit challenging the creature apparently lurking behind the bushes.

"We know you're there. Come out. We won't harm you", he called.

A gasp and sigh was heard then they saw a human-like figure rearing shyly from behind.

They took the weary traveller back to the treehoue to let him rest. Challenger tended to his wounds without a single complaint, something unusal for him those last few days.

Marguerite tried to ignore the feeling of familiarity. She felt she should know the newcomer, that he felt somehow related. But then again, it might have been only an illusion, so she shook it off and put her feelings aside helping Challenger to take care of him.

Over the next few days, Adam MacLeod, Earl of Darlington settled, amazingly comfortably into the treehouse family. They all seemed to have warmed to him, were it not for one small detail. They still didn't know what had brought him to the plateau. And Roxton was carefully watching him, too, since he didn;t like the way the newcomer eyed Marguerite. He seemed to be observing her carefully, as if trying to spot something. But as long as he kept his distance, Roxton had nothing much to say.

"So I guess I owe you a story, then?", the man nodded in agreement when quizzed on the reasons of his journey to the platteau.

"That would be nice, yes", all explorers apart from challanger nodded and turned to him curiously. They all windered what could have brought him here.

"Well, let's just say I"ve come here by accident", the man started warily, as if unsure of how much he can reveal. For now, he deicded, until he made sure she was relly her..."I never intended to come here and frnakly I never hoped to meet the Challenger expedition. It is an honour,. I know you distrust me, but please, let me assure you I do not wish any harm. For the moment, I can;t tell you any more, I don't know you. When the time comes I will tell yo everything, I promise you."

Marguerite, did not doubt the man was speaking openly. She had way too much experience with people to know whn someone was lying or not. And neither did Roxton.

She eyed Adam and finally nodded

"He's telling the truth And I think we should give the man a break. Everyone can have secrets, for pity's sake!"

A smile of gratitude appeared on his face,as everyone else, but Challenger, seemed to agree.

"Challenger?", Roxton probed "What do you say? Youve been awfully quiet tonight, my friend"

Uncharacteristically for Challenger, he barked back,

"What do you expect me to say?

"Well, how did the man get here, if nothing else. You usually are more talkative, is all. You have us all concerned, you know", Roxton shrugged as casually as he could. The fact was, he was worried and every moment even more so.

"As far as I remeber none of you ever liked my constant ramblings. Having second thoughts?"

His voice was icy and terse. A shadow crossed the explorers' features and for a long while there was a grim silence. Challenger excused himself to his room.

"We're sorry, Adam. He's not usually like this. Something has gotten into him these last days and he's just not himself anymore", Roxton explained to the confused man, while getting aboit his customary activity of tending to his weapon.

The man nodded.

"I bet. This is certainly not the George challenger I have heard of. I understand though.It's all right"

They nodded their thanks and Veronica and Maeguerite bade goodnight to the men, retreating to their respective rooms.

Roxton and Adam stayed alone.

"Say, Roxton, may I ask you a question?", Adam started after a while of comfortable silence.

"Depends on what is it that you want to know, but shoot"

The man shifted uncomfortably and took a deep breath.

"This woman, Marguerite...",

Roxton swung sharply around to face the man with a questioning and warning look in his eyes

" what about Marguerite?"

The man looked ready to kill, if need be, his gaze piercing right through the newcomer. Adam chuckled.

"Easy, there. I mean no offence. I can see the lady is quite well-protected. I was merely wondering if she didn't happen to have a brithmark. "

Here he proceeded to describe what sort of brithmark he had in mind.

Roxton's eyes narrowed in visible apprehension and he cast a sidelong look at his comapnion. Who was this man? What did he want? How the hell could he know? He didn't hesitate to voice his thoughts.

"How the hell do you know that?", he queried, perhaps too harshly.

Adam again inhaled sharply. So it was true, then. He has found her. Accidentally, unexpectedly but he has found her at last. Years of hopeless searches were finally over with this one single sentence. Not too kind, but who can blame the man for distrusting Adam?

"Listen", Adam started apologetically, "I realise how this may sound to you. I know you know I have been observing Marguerite, but I mean no harm, believe me. It's just that...

Roxton waited for explanation patiently. he needed to know what was going on, even if it meant foregoing the civility of plesantries. No such restrictions concerned the hunter when it came to Marguerite's well-being.

"You look like a trustworthy man, so I'm going to let you in on my secret. But I don't want Marguerite to know just yet. Promise me you won't repeat her what I'm about ti say", he stressed the final phrase with such deep empathy that Roxton decided to play along.

"Depending on what it is. Now,out with it" , he relented.

Adam agreed. He knew from the start he could trust the man, Roxton was reliable and recourceful, and as a perfect hunter he would find out the truth sooner or later, anyway

"All possible signs on heaven and earth hint that Marguerite is my daughter, Roxton"


	2. Chapter 2extremely short, in which a cer...

Author's comments: sorry it's so short, I'll do better next time. I only wanted to add an interlude chapter and had this idea, just to complicate things. Thank you for reading. Feedback always appreciated, good or bad.

Empress Soraya

Chapter 2

... extremely short, In which a certain jounralist gets into unusual trouble.

In the scorching heat of the sun, a rather weary tall blonde-haired man continued his jounrey of self-recognition. It had already led him to previously unexplored regions of the plateau and on occasion, an extremely desolate occasion, he wished he had taken his friends along. Especially Challenger. Hecoulduse this well, to some of his scientific purposes, Malone was sure. An Marguerite? marguerite would probably find here and unusla richness of natural resources, if she was still interested, of course. He missed them all and would have done anythong to have them with him.

But then he would remeber the purpose of this lone venture and remeber that this was something he needed to do on his own.

Somehwere deep inside he hoped he could discover the way off the plateau and return to London to organize a rescue expedition to save his friends. However, for the time being at least,no such path was shown to him. Sometimes he would ponder over the pointlessness of this attempt, but Ned Malone was never the one to give up. At least not after what he had learned on the plateau.

When the afternoon sun finally made it impossible for him to journey on, he sighed and decided to take a five-minute break in the comforting shadow of a tree. He never noticed when or how, but his wearienss finally took the better of him and he fell asleep.

Unbeknowst to the sleeping traveller, someone had been watching him from a hiding place in the bushes. A person of gentle disposition, though strong masculine posture and noble features, waiting for Malone to fall asleep. When he fianlly did, the man tiptoed out and gently took Malone in his arms to carry him off towards the palace.

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When Malone finally woke up a good few hours later, he could no longer recognise his surroundings. Sitting up he looked around, still groggy from sleep. He as not under the tree anymore but found himself lying in a soft, comfortable bed in a room which seemed oddly medieval, what with its decorations and stone walls.

"What the hell?", he swore under his breath, coming completely around and shrugging off the last traces of his sleep.

"Pray, Claudio, lie back " a gentle deep voice spoke.

Malone looked around to see a tall, dairk-haired man...the young journalist's eyes went wide with disbelief. This couldn't be.

"Roxton? What are you talking about?", he asked dumbfounded. "Where are we? This is not the treehouse, surely!"

His interlocutor merely shook his head.

"Nay, Claudio, I am not Roxton. Thou mistakest me for someone else. Don't you recall Benedic, your comrade and friend? You and Lady Hero disappeared so suddenly...we had you for dead.'

Malone groaned and hid his face in his hands. What did he got himself into this time? As far as he recalled, Benedic, Claudio and Hero were almost certainly names of Shakespearan characters.

"Art though feeling well?"

"I am not Claudio, Benedick", Malone said after a while, utterly confused,. How could it be possible for him to be here? What could have happened?

"Say not such things, Claudio. Of course you are yourself,", Benedick gently replied, "Though it is understood that you need rest. We have found you unciosncious under a tree and though the medic assures us that all will be well, we are all concerned about your well-being "

"I"m telling you I"m no bloody Claudio!"

"Calm down your nerves, my friend. After you rest you will remember who you are. I shall now excuse myself to inform Lord Leonato of your condition."

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"How is he, Lord Benedick? ", an apprehensive voice, belonging to a slender raven-haired beauty, queried upon seeing him emerge from Malone's room.

"He is much troubled, Beatrice. He does nottrust himself to be Claudio."

The woman referred to as beatrice rose her elegant eyebrows at this.

"How so?"

"Upon awakening he referred to me as "Roxton". He must be very ill to mistake me for someone else. But the medic assures me he will be fine once he rests."

This seemd to concern the woman even more, even though her face remained fixed and calm.

"Has Lord Leonato been informed?"

"I was just proceeding to do this, my lady"

Beatrice nodded

"You wish company, perhaps?"

Benedick smiled ,"Yours, always, my dear".

She gracefully accepted his arm and together they went to look for Lord Leonato to inform him of recent events. They were not only concerned for their friend;s well being but also that of his wife who had not been found yet. Hero and Claudio had both disappeared unexpectedly one night. It was suspected they had been taken hostage but this proved wrong when Benedick found who he believed to be Claudio. This raised hopes in the knight's heart that Hero, Leonato's daughter could also be foind alive and well, given time and patience. With these good tidings he and Beatrice went to see Leonato himself.

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Left on his own, Malone drowned in his thoughts. He had no idea what he would do, or how was it possible that he even got here in the first place. This was a medivelval castle and he, out of blue, become incorporated into its life. How could he be? He would never know. But he was certain he needed to get out of there and fast, or lese he would lose his mind ready to believe he was in fact Claudio.

But though his thoughts were racing, he had no solid reason to be allowed to leeave, especially that everyone around seemed to be certain he was someone he wasn't. He cursed himself again and again for falling asleep under that tree, but then again he couldn't be sure if that would have changed anything and there was no pointin dwelling on that, either. His real problem was: how to persuade them he was not Claudio.

But, be it for the exerience or the heat of the sun, with those thoughts he fell back to sleep.


End file.
